


A Man in Uniform

by quicksylver28



Category: Captain America (Movies), Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Character Growth, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, M/M, Multi, Slow Burn, Therapy, Tony Stark Gets a Hug, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Uniform Kink, well kinda
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-06
Updated: 2019-01-06
Packaged: 2019-10-05 08:44:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17321735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quicksylver28/pseuds/quicksylver28
Summary: From since he was a kid, Tony had always loved a man in uniform.





	A Man in Uniform

**Author's Note:**

> UPDATED: for grammar and spelling and stuff.
> 
> Welp, this happened. This story happened so suddenly that I don't even have fan-art made. I just felt like writing. So awesome. i feel very proud of myself. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Tony had always been a little weak at the knees for a man in uniform. Since he was a young boy at Howard's knee, eyes glazed over with wonder at Stories of the amazing Steven Grant Rogers aka Captain America. 

That was in the good old days when the tales were bittersweet nostalgia for Howard and not the sour, acid rod used to brow beat Tony. 

One of Howard’s prized possessions was a picture of Steve in full dress uniform, standing straight and tall like the hero he was; awkwardly towering almost a head above the army brass standing on either side.

The army green dress uniform had been tailored to fit snugly across those broad shoulders and trim waist, his uniform hat tilted a bit rakishly on his coiffed blond head. 

Tony would sit in Aunt Peggy's lap, snug as a bug in a rug, with her gentle arms around him; in her hands the framed picture Howard usually kept in pride of place behind his desk.

Howard would sip his whiskey, grumbling good naturedly as Peggy spun yarns about Steve Rogers, the boy from Brooklyn who could take down a platoon of German soldiers by himself but clumsily crushed way too many door knobs because he forgot his own strength.

As the years went by, and Peggy started coming by less. Howard started drinking more and spending time in the Master Study filled him Tony with dread. He would stare at the picture of a smiling Steve Rogers as Howard ranted about whatever he was unhappy about. 

Granted, it was mostly something Tony had done or said or had not done or said but once in a while, he stuck some unrelated gripes there and there. Somehow it all came back to Tony and his seeming lack of everything that made a proper Stark.

Tony would nod along, contrition on his sleeve, but his eyes and his mind would focus on the picture in its polished frame. In his great, big, marvelous mind he would imagine the blond giving him a cheeky grin and rolling his eyes at Howard. Tony would smile back, making sure to duck his head to that Howard wouldn't see. 

When visits to the study became increasingly unpleasant, he would imagine the blond coming to life, hustling the officious looking men in the picture with him out of the frame, ignoring their undignified squawking. Steve would then call in the Howling Commandos, or the Howlies as Peggy used to call them, and they would all cheer wildly for him, jostling each other for space within the frame.

Then, when things go really bad and Tony would stumble back to his room, bruised and sometimes bloody, he would reach under his bed with a muffled moan. His nimble fingers would feel around between the mattress and the box frame, pulling out a leather binder that Jarvis had gifted him. 

Inside there was a copy of the picture from Howard's study, smaller and not as pristine, but Rogers was just as resplendent in his uniform as ever. Tony would run his fingertips along Steve's broad shoulders and sharp jaw, eyes going blurry.

He would hug the picture to his chest, scolding himself that Stark's don't cry and daydreaming about the day Howard finally found Steve's body on his annual arctic search. But instead of finding a body, Howard would somehow find the soldier alive.

Steve would come to stay at the Manor, looking smart in his full dress uniform; medals sparkling in the light. He would be smiling like the sun as he clapped Howard on the shoulders. He would shakes Jarvis' hand, kiss Maria on both cheeks, hug Aunt Peggy around the waist and then he would turn to Tony and open his arms.

Howard would put down his drink and laugh, Jarvis would smile, Aunt Peggy would cry and Maria would blush. Tony, he would run into the blonde's huge arms and rest his weary head on those broad shoulders. Hear that deep voice whisper comfort in his ears, feel a soft kiss upon the crown of his head and know true comfort.

Just by being there, Steve would make everything better.

By the time Tony hit is pre-teens and was starting to look at both girls and boys, he found a picture of James Buchanan Barnes. Steve's Roger's right hand man and major heart throb in his own right.  
Just as Steve Rogers was a warm and sunny day, James was the cool, sweet nighttime. 

Tony's been banging around in the attic, keeping out of the way of Howard's particularly acerbic mood and had found an envelope full of old photos. Most of them were wonderful candid shots of the Howlies, taken by the men themselves; but at the bottom of the pile was a gem of a find. 

It was a snapshot of Rogers and Barnes, standing outside of a US Embassy somewhere in Europe. Both were in their full dress uniforms, looking as if they'd just stepped out of a fancy recruitment poster.

By now, Tony easily recognized the gleaming medals on both men's chest, tapping his fingers softly on each one and murmuring their meaning under his breath.

He spent the next couple of hours, leaning against an old trunk in a spot of sunlight, memorizing the lines of Barnes' gorgeous face just as he'd done for Steve's; until Howard finally cleared out of the mansion and Jarvis called him down for supper.

Tony's sexual awakening came at boarding school, guided by hot dreams of two gentle lovers, one sunny and sweet, the other wicked and wild. Steve and James were his guardians, his saviours, his comfort when the days were lonely and the nights even more so.

They guided him through the riot of hormones that was puberty, comforted him through his first awkward sexual fumblings. They sat with him in the cold of the morning after losing his virginity in the back of a car to the headmaster's daughter. They sat on the edge of the tub, telling jokes and funny stories after losing his ass cherry to the gardener's son.

They never judged him his decisions, smiling with comfort and understanding at him as he came through the other side of every situation changed in some small way. Steady sources of love and affection through whatever life shit threw at him.

His teens brought him to MIT and his Rhodey. The love of his life and his platonic husband. James Rupert Rhodes was as much of a big damn hero to Tony as the Steve and James of his imagination. The difference was that Rhodey was real, larger than life itself and he was Tony's. 

Bursting into Tony's life and saving his blackened little heart, James Rhodes was a hero before Tony even knew his name. In no time at all he was tucked up under Tony's ribs, snug against his beating heart like a love letter to his soul.

The first time Tony had seen Rhodey in his dress uniform, he'd helplessly blurted out that he loved him. In return, Jim had paused from straightening his uniform tie and smirked, saying. "I know."

His twenties and thirties passed with a myriad of lovers, both in and out of uniform. A lot of discreet liaisons and don't ask don't tell but Tony always made sure that his lovers knew how grateful he was for their service. Both to him and to their country.

Then came Afghanistan and Iron Man.

Then came Hammer and Vanko.

Then came New York and the Avengers.

And Steven Grant Rogers. Unfrozen and Alive. God.

And the red and blue spandex number that both titillated and disgusted Tony for the blatant fan service and lack of any kind of bodily protection. Who knew what Coulson had been thinking? Actually, Tony didn't want to know what the man was thinking. Not from the look in the man's eyes whenever he was around the Captain.

Besides, it wasn't right to speak ill of the dead.

Unfortunately, no matter how Tony had warned his rebellious heart that the recently thawed Captain America would not, could not live up to the image Tony had been in love with since he was a boy; it had been a bitter pill to swallow when the man seemed to hate him on sight.

But, by then, Tony had come to know heartbreak intimately and had learned long ago how to weather it with some semblance of grace. That didn't stop him from spending a week in the lab, perfecting a newer, better uniform for when Rogers came back from his road trip across America.

He'd sent it over to SHIELD, asking Fury not to tell Rogers who made it. Fury had looked at him oddly but, in the end, was all too happy to take the credit. It made Tony glad that he'd let Pepper take charge of all dealings with the clandestine organization, taking the Tony Stark-Not Recommended- Shit show of a psyche profile by a sneaky little spider to heart and stepping back from the Avengers Initiative.

That left him time to concentrate solely on SI, Iron Man and strengthening JARVIS' security protocols. It was getting to be a dangerous world out there. Tony was nothing if not a futurist and he could practically see the blocks tumbling into place.

There was something out there, bigger than New York, bigger than all of them. He'd seen it in the infinite horrible wonder of the wormhole. He continued to see it in his nightmares, his Steve and James ever present at his side, ready with their love and comfort when he woke up screaming, breath caught in his rebellious lungs.

They smiled at him when he finally broke down in Pepper's and Rhodey's arms. They sat with him as happy drove him to see a heavily vetted and trusted therapist. They lay beside him when he was too wired to sleep but too exhausted to work.

They kissed his cheek as he came to the realization that he would forever be in love with two men who existed only in his mind. Cried with him as he accepted that fact and made peace with it.

He had his Steve and his James, his JARVIS and his Rhodey. His Pepper and his Happy. He was okay. He was content.

Then came Maya and Killian. And AIM. 

Then came Tennessee and Harley's smart mouth and dry humour. 

And Extremis and the arc reactor being removal and he could breathe, he could fucking breathe again. 

And when he stood at the cliff where his Miami home used to be, his Steve and James stood with him, sharp as ever in their full dress uniforms.

He moved back into the tower full time. Pouring himself into clean energy and whatever jobs from SHIELD that made it through Pepper's brutal screening process. Iron Man was still a solo gig, though he'd seen evidence of the Avengers Initiative in countries around the world. 

His girl FRIDAY came about to data mine SHIELD and the Avengers, freeing up JARVIS processing power. She was a cute little wonder, sharp and slick, blossoming under her big brother's care. With his Imaginary lovers, his computer children, his high tech prosthesis, his small circle of friends, Tony had built himself a wonderful little family.

Then came Project Insight and HYDRA. 

Then came OH MY GOD BUCKY BARNES WAS ALIVE.

Friday had alerted him in time to override the helicarriers with a back door he'd built in to the system long ago. She also helped him subvert, albeit temporarily, the dump of SHIELD files unto the World Wide Web, sending out urgent encrypted messages for all agents in danger to bug out and head for the hills. 

He commandeered his own company's resources to get most of the agents, their families and assets out of danger, using his own staff and facilities to get them away from enemies hungry for their blood.

He did all this with his mind spinning at seeing James Barnes living and breathing, his Steve and James steady at his side through it all.

He reached out to Steve in the aftermath, offering use of his tech resources in searching for Barnes. His help was politely and firmly declined and he let the pang of hurt in his chest surge and fade naturally. He no longer felt the need to hold on to those hurts, to yearn for the approval of people unworthy, unwilling and unable to give it.

He began his own search, FRIDAY chewing through the HYDRA files like the ravenous bugblatter beast from Traal. She compiled daily reports, gathering evidence which Tony then sent off to the relevant authorities. 

Since the reveal of the shadow Neo-Nazi organization nestled within SHIELD's twisted roots, the entire organization had been turned inside and out, the infamous World Security Council broken apart and raked over the coals for their ham-fisted handling of the entire kit'n'caboodle.

Pepper's decision to keep SHIELD at arm's length helped keep the shit hitting the fan from ending up all over Stark Industries, Iron Man and Tony himself. 

So, with his Steve and James at his side, he searched for Bucky in between scraping through the HYDRA dump and installing clean energy reactors in Stark facilities around the world.

Then came the files on Armin Zola. And the Winter Soldier.

Then came the video from December 16th, 1991.

He came back to himself in Rhodey's arms, face tucked against his neck and wet with tears. Pepper's hand was on his ankle as she sat at the edge of the bed, tapping away on her tablet; legs curled up under her. Happy was sitting on a chair near the bed, talking softly with JARVIS; a bag of delicious smelling bag from Tony's favourite burger place near his elbow.

His Steve and James sat on Tony's other side, their eyes sorrowful and smiles bittersweet. Tony found himself unable to look at them for too long, whispering his apologies against Rhodey's warm skin as he turned away from his two longest loves.

His therapy sessions doubled and he went through a period of not sleeping or eating enough and spending too much time in his lab. Eventually Pepper sent him on a worldwide tour of Stark Facilities, which took him three months to complete. 

So, with Happy in tow, Tony ran as fast as he could away from New York, away from SHIELD and the Avengers. Away from the fact that Steve Rogers had to have known that his best friend turned HYDRA assassin had killed Tony's parents and hadn't said a word.

Ran away from the fact that Fury and his whole coterie most likely knew this as well and that none of them thought that he, the son of the murdered couple, deserved to know.

It was somewhere over the Indian ocean that he realized that, in truth, Fury, SHIELD and even Rogers didn't really owe him anything. Despite what people often believed, the world really didn't owe him anything. Fury was the spy's spy, he wasn't about spill secrets to Tony out of the goodness of his heart. Romanov and Barton owed him no loyalty, they wouldn't think twice about keeping information secret under orders.

And Rogers, he had no time for Howard's ne'er-do-well son, or whatever shit SHIELD had surely been shoveling about Tony since they pulled him out of the ice.

He went through the stages of grief, Happy solid at his side as they traveled. There was denial in Barcelona as he helped with a massive heat wave, anger in Chad as he dealt with water purification, bargaining in Sri Lanka as he launched his newest Arc Facility, depression in Sydney as he negotiated with the Aboriginal leaders about solutions to their land erosion problems. 

Finally, there was acceptance in Chile as he toured one of SI's facilities that had been hit by an earthquake. He'd woke up one morning and looked over his shoulder to where his Steve and James were waiting… had been waiting patiently for so long; and gave them a soft smile. The smiles they gave back were like a balm to his weary heart. 

He was ready to go home.

New York brought with it a flurry of activity. Work for SI, work for Iron Man, work with his therapist. Work dealing with the reports FRIDAY had been compiling on HYDRA and the Soldier. Work catching up on the Avengers mission reports that SHIELD thought they held so secure.

Apparently Rogers and company were hot on HYDRA's trail, cutting off each ugly head as it reared. In between those seek and destroy missions, Rogers continued to look for his long lost best friend. Apparently the man had only agreed to stay with the Avengers if Fury promised to fund his little side project. 

Tony understood to a point. There was nothing that he wouldn't do for Rhodey. Nothing that his Rhodey wouldn't do for him. The secret keeping still got stuck in his craw something awful but he was making good progress on that with his therapist.

With FRIDAY scouring facial recognition on Barnes, Tony turned his focus back to bigger matters. With VERONICA already in orbit, he began working on one of his greatest projects yet. As great as being Iron Man was, he was still only one man and the world needed more. It needed a protector.

ULTRON would be that protector. 

His newest AI was born just as Rogers and Company raided a small Sokovian base, capturing Loki's staff and taking it to a secret SHIELD location. FRIDAY briefed Tony on the mission, compiling profiles on the two enhanced beings the team briefly encountered. 

Apparently Thor and Bruce had joined the roster and it threw Tony for a moment that neither man had reached out to him at all. But, as he'd come to accept, neither man really owed him anything in the end. They'd spent less than a week in each other's company, parting ways soon after. 

Still, a simple phone call to say hello would have been welcome.

ULTRON grew and evolved, just as smart, savvy and sassy as his brother and sister, taking up control of the New Iron Legion with a competence and proficiency that made Tony feel like a proud papa. 

Then came Johannesburg. Oh Bruce. 

The Iron Legion debuted in the aftermath, digging survivors out of the rubble and lending valuable aid. ULTRON was an undeniable success, efficient as Pepper, steadfast as Happy, diligent as Rhodey and oh so gentle with the fragile humanity that it was his duty to protect.

In fact, it made Tony a little soft inside to see how much of human JARVIS he saw in the AI, mostly likely passed down through JARVIS and Tony himself. This was Jarvis' legacy. This was Tony's legacy. It was Peggy's and Maria's Legacy.

It was His Steve's and his James' Legacy.

Howard could burn in hell.

He sends all the facial recognition that FRIDAY had compiled on the wonder twins to SHIELD, dealing with that ticking time bomb superseded his reticence to work too closely with Fury and his merry little band of spies.

He learned after the fact that Thor had returned to Asgard, blinking at the notification before shrugging and turning back to his work. The UN panel of Homeworld Defense was meeting soon and he wanted to have his presentation on a Planet Wide Defense Net ready. 

It would take some time to get the whole world on board with the idea but he wanted to be ready for when whatever was up there tried to come down here. He was already reaching out to fellow heroes, forming a network of people ready to help if the shit hit the fan. 

LINC was born soon after, the baby of all his AI children, in charge to communication and support for the growing community of enhanced acting both in and out of public view. There was already plans in the pipelines at the UN for some kind of oversight body, Tony already contracted as a consultant and liaison to the exploratory committee. 

And through it all his Steve and his James were by his side. Steadfast and strong, with smiles on their faces and love in their eyes and he worked to protect this fragile blue marble as it hung in the dark cold infinity of space.

He'd just finished reading the latest reports from SHIELD and tragic deaths of the Maximoff twins, who'd been taken down by local authorities while fleeing along the borders of a small African Nation named Wakanda, when FRIDAY pinged him urgently.

Bucky Barnes had been located.

At first, Tony had sat in the lab, staring dumbly at the footage of Barnes buying fruit at a local market in Budapest. Then, after shaking himself out of his stupor, he called Rhodey and Pepper. 

He tried contacting Rogers, even trying to call the man's private line. After having the call declined three times, he hacked the SHIELD camera at the blonde's location, concerned that something may have been wrong with the soldier. 

He found Rogers sitting on his bed, reading through files, a plate of sandwiches at his side. Then, after seeing the man glance at his phone and make a face at Tony's call, swiping easily to decline; Tony decided not to call again.

With War Machine and Iron Man on the roof, several of the Iron legion nearby and a Squad of Special Police holding the perimeter; a small drone, steered by FRIDAY crept into Bucky Barnes apartment and took him down with a small dart of soldier strength sedative.

As the Legion secured Barnes in re-enforced shackles, Tony wondered absently if Rogers knew that SHIELD had been experimenting with his blood to create counter measures against him. God, SHIELD's firewalls were fucking laughable. And their facility security even more so.

Barnes was taken to a secure facility in Switzerland, specializing in metal health assessment and recovery and a small, highly classified oversight committee was formed by doctor's from several countries to determine just how legible Barnes was to stand trial.

They'd brought experts in to detach the arm, Tony consulting on the mechanics of it while others dealt with the biological. Barnes had looked so lost after the surgery, sitting in his cell in a pairs of scrubs, left sleeve pinned up; his tangled brown hair washed, combed and pulled into a messy bun. 

Tony's heart went out to him, his own James and Steve at his shoulders as he watched the man through the security feed. The anger he'd felt at watching the Winter Soldier kill his parents had faced long ago, leaving only a soft pity for the brave man who'd been made a prisoner in his own body for far too long. 

The plane ride back to the states was a quiet one, with Tony slumped against Rhodey's side, tucked under his best friends arm and taking comfort in his familiar warmth.

Life went on and Tony kept working, building a network of heroes, ready to come to earth's defense if needed. The PROTECTOR initiative was launched soon after, approved and monitored by the UN and welcomed into more countries than Tony had originally anticipated.

He retrofitted old SI facilities all over the world, to train and house new members. He worked with local law enforcement to facilitate co-operation and formed Mentor programmes for the more experienced heroes to show the newer members the ropes. 

Then came Pepper and Happy's wedding.

Then came Harley graduating from MIT and moving to New York, bragging that he was Tony's second kid after JARVIS and that gave him certain big brother privileges around the tower. 

Then came meeting Peter Parker and giving him a new suit, bringing him into the Protectors as a junior member and as an Intern at SI.

Then came Rhodey and Carol's engagement and the night that Tony, Rhodey and Pepper spent holed up in the penthouse, drinking wine and crying about how far they'd come and how they'd all found happiness and love. Well, most of them anyway. 

Life went on and the Protectors grew, Fury tried to muscle in with SHIELD and Tony let Rhodey and Carol cut him off at the knees. 

FRIDAY let him know the moment SHIELD informed Rogers of his best friend's circumstances, the blonde's shock at SHIELD's own ignorance to Bucky's capture and treatment for so long warring with his elation that his friend had been receiving the help that he'd needed.

Their tearful reunion had been public, along with Barnes public debut; part of the UN's campaign to showcase the success of the former POW's rehabilitation to the world. Tony had watched on live TV, along with his Rhodey, his Pepper, his Happy, his Harley and his Steve and James; how the two boys from Brooklyn hugged and smiled at each other and captured the hearts across the nation and the world beyond.

Then came Wakanda's reintroduction to the world with all it's technical wonders.

Then came meeting Prince T'Challa and Princess Shuri and falling instantly in love with her marvelous genius brain. 

Then came introducing her to Peter and Harley and watching with a mix of swelling pride and the horror of "What had he done?" when they all got along like a house on fire.

Then came Thor's return. bring with him Loki and what was left of his people in tow, just escaping from Ragnarok and the destruction of Asgard.

After him came the Guardians of the Galaxy and the Sorcerer Supreme and a whole undiscovered world of magic that both intrigued Tony thoroughly and drove him insane.

After them came Thanos and OH GOD this is what Tony had been dreaming of, waiting for and dreading since the wormhole.

It was finally here. The Endgame.

With ULTRON, the Iron Legion and the Protectors defending the planet, Loki and the magical monks at the Kamar-Taj working there mojo and the guardians of the galaxy securing the infinity Stones, Tony worked tirelessly with LINC to co-ordinate the various efforts being put forth.

SHIELD waded into the mess, their claim on the Mind stone making them a player in this game. With the Time stone around Strange's neck, the Space stone in Loki's pocket dimension and the Soul Stone kept secret in Gamora's steel trap mind and the Power Stone on Thanos' famous gauntlet; things got pretty crazy.

He ended up working closely with both Roger's and Barnes, outfitting the SHIELD personnel with new suits and equipment on par with the stuff he'd been doing for the Protectors. He'd happened to glance at Roger's face as the blonde ran his hands over the familiar looking design and SI patented material, no doubt recognizing the similar tech to his own, SHIELD issued stealth suit.

He'd started looking at Tony differently after that, an odd confused look that Tony didn't have the time or the wherewithal to decipher. 

When Thanos came, they were as ready as they could ever be. The war was brutal and fast paced, battles raging all over the globe and in the skies above it. Friend and foe alike fell, losses were taken and advances gained.

But in the end, they came through and Thanos was defeated, sent packing to his love Lady Death by Thor's newly forged axe, Stormbreaker to the forehead. 

Thanos' body was burned immediately and his ashes spread to the ass ends of the universe, the gauntlet sent back to Nidavellir to be melted into slag and tossed into the heart of the very neutron star that birthed it.

The Stones were split up once again, Thor taking the Space Stone and Strange keeping the Time Stone. With the Soul Stone's secret still intact to all but a trusted few, the Guardians took the Power Stone to what was left of the Nova Corps on Xandar. 

The Mind Stone, much to SHIELD's protestations, were given to the Fantastic Four to toss in to dimensional rift in space at some far away corner of space.

Then, after seeing all important matters were attended to and that all his people were safe an accounted for, Tony smiled tiredly at his Steve and James and fell into bed and slept.

And slept. And slept.

They'd won, oh God they'd won. 

He could finally rest.

And as he slept, his 'kids' took the ball and ran with it. ULTRON and the Legion helped with the aftermath of the destruction. LINC kept everyone informed and in contact. Veronica kept an eye out to the cosmos, ever ready and watching. FRIDAY, along Tony's human 'kids' took care of the Protectors and all the exhausted heroes under its wings. 

And of course, JARVIS, his first born son, watched over everything with his infinite wisdom and his new low-key Skynet mindset. So while Tony slept, his Steve and his James standing guard, the world came to terms with what happened. 

When he finally woke, he felt lighter. As if the weight of the world had fallen off his shoulders. And perhaps it had. He spent the next hour in the shower of his suite, crying. Big breathless gulps of air as he sat in the corner of the stall. JARVIS kept the water warm, heating the tiles under his butt and speaking soft and soothing words that meant little to nothing but kept Tony from falling off the edge.

When he finally emerged from his rooms, beard all grown in and hair wet and curling long around his ears; he'd pulled on one of Rhodey's old t-shirts, a pair of sweatpants and some soft black Ugg boots he'd bought once and never got the chance to wear.

He shuffled unto the common floor and straight into Rhodey's arms, sinking into the other man's tight embrace with a great sigh. Various voices greeted him enthusiastically and he was passed from person to person, exchanging hugs, kisses and pats on the back. 

The 'kids' soon stole him away, tucking him into the couch and piling on top of him in their rush to tell him about all he'd missed. Someone pressed a cup of coffee into his hand and someone else passed him a plate full of thick roast beef sandwiches. 

As words and laughter swirled around and over him, he smiled in contentment, biting into his first sandwich as both Shuri and Harley quarreled over who was actually telling the story. 

Looking around the room, and at the people gathered there, his eyes caught on forget-me-not blue. Rogers gave him a tentative smile, saluting Tony with his own coffee mug as he talked to Carol and Rhodey about something or the other. 

Seeing the blond made him look around the room for his partner and he found Barnes sitting in a corner, looking soft and sleepy looking as he dug into a large slice of cake for breakfast. 

Their eyes met, Tony raising an eyebrow at the cake. In response, Barnes stared back without blinking and slowly ate another huge forkful, as if daring Tony to judge him his life choices. Tony laughed out loud, almost spilling his own coffee, and bringing the kids' attention to him once more. 

Life went on and the world rebuilt. Tony threw himself into recovery and helping the planet settle into the new normal. 

Then one day, Rogers came to him one day and apologized. For the horrible first impressions and for his own stubborn tendency to judge others prematurely. He apologized for sticking his head in the sand and ignoring the present to cling to the past. 

He apologized for gobbling up everything SHIELD had spoon fed him without a peep of protest and for not finding out for himself if it was true.

Head bowed in regret in his blue eyes, he apologized for not telling Tony about his parents, for lying by omission because he was too wrapped up in Bucky to care about much anything else. That he'd been seriously fucked up for a long time and that he was now getting the professional help that he should have sought long ago.

Tony'd felt blindsided, utterly surprised at the genuine emotion coming from the blond. Rogers left soon after, giving Tony time to suss out his own feelings on the matter and it warmed Tony's heart at that small gesture of consideration.

Barnes came to him soon after, regret and guilt shining in his eyes as he talked about what he remembered of that night. His apology was so pained that Tony just had to step forward and hug the man.

Barnes froze, tears forming in his eyes as Tony gave his own soft confession that he'd forgiven Barnes a long time ago. In fact, he'd forgiven the Winter Soldier a long time ago as well. Barnes had been shocked, asking how it was possible.

Barnes had been a prisoner, forced and tortured into awful deeds while the Winter Soldier had also suffered; made into a weapon by HYDRA's cruel hand; no more able to make his own decisions as Barnes was.

The peaceful look in Barnes' eyes as he left that day made Tony's day and he looked over to see his Steve and James looking back at him with love and pride.

Soon after that, Rogers and Barnes left SHIELD and petitioned to joins the Protectors, joining the ranks under Rhodey's and Carol's command. This brought all three into closer contact, the tentative friendship between them growing deeper and more steady with each conversation, each interaction, each mission.

Harley took up the mantle of Iron Man suit, and along with Riri Williams, would carry Tony's legacy into the future. Extremis kept him fit, slowing his aging and giving him strength but physical prowess wasn't everything. Mentally and emotionally he was ready to let someone younger and smarter take over the super hero business.Tony himself was happy to pass on the baton, diving into dealing with cleaning up the planet for future generations.

Tony was in the planet preservation business now. The legacy business.

One year after the great battle, the UN hosted a series of ceremonies to celebrate the anniversary. Tony made his appearances, dressed to the nines in his best suit; ready to smile and show the world how bright the future could be.

At one of the events hosted by the US Military, Tony had been glad handing with some Air Force buddies of Rhodey's when he'd looked up and time stopped. 

Rogers was at the top of the stairs, dressed and immaculate in a set of modern army dress blues. Tailored to fit his amazing body perfectly, his broad chest heavy with pins and medals.

Then, just as Tony was learning how to breathe again, Barnes stepped into view and sent Tony's brain into blue screen. His mouth dry and face flushed, Tony excused himself and quickly made his way unto the balcony for some fresh air.

Oh. Okay. So that happened. 

His Steve and James only smirked at him, in their vintage army green; earning a scowl from Tony in return. Those jerks. They knew him all too well.

He returned to the party, eyes snagging too often on the super soldiers as they made their own rounds around the room. They even caught him looking once or twice, Rogers with his earnest blue eyes and Barnes with his sharp calculating gaze.

To Tony's mortification, he found himself blushing under their gazes, both men's interest sharpening as the night went on. Tony barely kept it together when he got pulled into a conversation with one of the US Joint Chiefs. Caught with Rogers on one side, close enough for Tony to smell his aftershave; and Barnes, who'd placed a gentle hand on Tony's elbow as he laughed and causally kept it there for the rest of the conversation.

It was all Tony could do not too climb either one of them like a tree. The rest of the night was a bit of a blur, Tony couldn't even recall what he said to anyone else that night. All he could see was Rogers and Barnes, all dressed up and dapper, fine examples of physical perfection in an extremely pleasing wrapping. 

He begged off the even early, too hot and bothered under the collar to put up with the politicking the event required. To his utter dismay though, both Rogers and Barnes offered to escort him home. And Rhodey, concerned for Tony's flushed appearance, wouldn't take no for an answer.

Being stuck in the back seat of a limo with both men was an exercise in discipline and he prayed for the relief of the tower and the privacy of his rooms. Sadly for him though, both men insisted on escorting him up to the penthouse.

The elevator ride was torture, stuck in close quarters with the men he'd been in love with since a child. Men who'd proven themselves finally to be just as good and just and righteous as those who'd lived in his dreams all these years. 

It was only when they'd made themselves at home and were suggesting a night cap when finally Tony lost his god damned mind. To say the two men were shocked at the Tony's outburst was an understatement, Rogers blushing red as a beet while Barnes' eye went wide with surprise.

By the time Tony had would himself down, he'd been subtly cornered by the super soldiers; a new and concerning twinkle in their eyes. He only had time to take a breath before Barnes was kissing him, hands messing up Tony's hair and caressing his jaw. 

When Barnes finally pulled away, eye bright and grinning, Tony only hand time to draw in a ragged breath before Rogers took his place.

They fell into bed together, all parties eager and touch hungry. Tony took great pleasure in peeling those uniforms off those gorgeous bodies and gazing unashamedly at the gorgeous bodies underneath. They rocked together, Bucky at his front, Steve at his back; shuddering through ecstasy over and over until they were all sated. 

Later, as Tony lay between the two men, petting and kissing whatever sweaty skin he could reach, he looked over Rogers' broad shoulder to where his Steve and James were standing. They were smiling, their eyes filled with happiness and love. And how he loved them in return. He would always love them. They'd been with him through everything. Had loved him through everything.

Maybe one day Rogers and Barnes would become Steve and Bucky. Maybe not. Maybe he would find the kind of love he'd shared with his Steve and James with the two men in his bed. Maybe he would not.

All he knew was that he would always keep his Steve and James tucked up under his rib cage, next to the soft of his heart. Resplendent and immaculate in their vintage army green, hats tilted rakishly with smiles filled his happiness and love in their eyes.

Whatever happened now, he knew that he would be okay. 

He also knew that he would have to make sure that both Rogers and Barnes were presented with opportunities to wear their uniforms often. Very, very often.

What could he say? He'd always loved a man in uniform.


End file.
